AI Skills Best Practices

Use this skill to build, review, or improve SKILL.md-based skills with strong triggering, clear workflows, and efficient context use.

Workflow

• Use the workflow graph in references/skill-workflow.dot as the canonical flow.
• Follow references/graphviz-conventions.dot for node shapes, labels, and edge styles.
• Keep workflows trigger-based and split into focused subgraphs rather than one giant flow.
• Render graphs with scripts/render_dot.py when you need a visual check.

Core Principles

• Keep SKILL.md concise; move heavy reference material into references/.
• Optimize for triggering: description should emphasize when to use the skill.
• Use progressive disclosure: metadata -> SKILL.md -> references/scripts/assets.
• Choose the right degree of freedom: text, pseudocode, or scripts depending on fragility.
• Prefer reusable resources (scripts, templates) over repeated prose.